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Blue Murder

This would have to be one of the greatest things to ever be put on TV. It’s better than a lot of Australian films, not that that’s really saying anything, but just take my word – it fucking rules.

‘Blue Murder’ is a painstakingly researched account of the true story of Detective Sergeant Roger ‘The Dodger’ Rogerson and his relationship with notorious Sydney criminal Neddy Smith. It was held back from NSW screens for nearly 5 years due to court proceedings within the state, and me, being the dolt I am, missed it when it finally made it to television. But never fear sportsfans, I managed to rent this out from my local Video Ezy.

‘Blue Murder’ is to Australian television as ‘The Godfather’ is to ‘Super Mario Bros: The Movie’. In short, it doesn’t bare comparison. If all Australian television was like ‘Blue Murder’ then I’d never leave the house. Not that I leave my house that much to begin with. Anyway, I digress. ‘Blue Murder’ takes us through 10 years of police corruption, internal affairs investigations, street executions and botched assassination attempts. The first hour of ‘Blue Murder’ is probably the most exciting hour in television, of all time. Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far, but when you see a bunch of criminals take apart a bar full of lowlives just for fun and ride through pubs on motorcycles, you can’t help but cheer. And I was utterly speechless when the Dodger gave Neddy Smith ‘the green light’. Never would I have imagined that such a thing could take place in Sydney, Australia, only 20 or so years ago.

I reccomend this to everyone. All aspects of production are beyond standard television quality. Look out for a who’s who of Australian actors, complete with 70s wigs and fashion. It’s also immensely quotable and full of top-rate performances… this was the ‘Chopper’ film before the ‘Chopper’ film even existed.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch for Gary Sweet as a coke-snorting hired gun, especially in one particular scene where he gets so angry that he bites a schooner glass into shards. Also, Richard Roxburgh is incredibly spot on as The Dodger… so much so that his pathetic performances in ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ and ‘Van Helsing’ are some of the most dissapointing things I’ve ever witnessed in film.